


Fabrication

by Lola_The_Nerd_27



Category: Carmilla (Web Series), Carmilla - J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Genre: F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-01
Updated: 2015-05-17
Packaged: 2018-03-26 13:38:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3852790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lola_The_Nerd_27/pseuds/Lola_The_Nerd_27
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hollstein Fake dating AU: Carmilla's ex is getting married and Carm needs to bring a girl to the wedding to avoid humiliation. Laura agrees to go with her. Fluff ensues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Carmilla stared in horror at the pearl-white card in front of her. The gold lettering jumped out on the page:

_You are cordially invited to the wedding of:_

_Elle Hesselius and Sophia June_

_On the 15th of May, 2015, Hotel Borsetta, Newtown,_

_Children welcome. Bring a guest!_

Her hands shook. She dropped the card, her breathing quickening and her heart in her throat. Elle? Married? Impossible!

She picked up the card again, reading over the words. _Sophia June. 15th of May. Hotel Borsetta._ It couldn't be real. Was this some sort of sick joke? Was Elle mocking her because she didn't have a girlfriend - hadn't had one since they broke up.

She stared at the last line, its words drilled into her brain. _Bring a guest!_

 _Elle aimed this at me_ , Carm thought. It had to be. How could she possibly show up to the wedding alone?

Carmilla turned as Laura walked in, cookie box in hand. "What's that?"

"It's none of your business," Carmilla grumbled, pushing past her and grabbing a cookie from her on the way out.

*   *   *

She had to ask someone to come with her, to fake being her partner - at least until the wedding ended, to keep her cool. Elle would laugh in her face. Whatever she did, she had to bring a girl to the ceremony. _Any_ girl.

It had been a day since the invitation had arrived, and Carmilla hadn't stopped stressing about it since.

"You need something?" Laura sighed as she brushed suddenly past her roommate, cocoa in hand.

Carmilla froze. No. She couldn't.

 _Could_ she?

Before she knew what she was doing, the words were tumbling out of her mouth - "Will you be my girlfriend?"

Laura stopped dead, her mouth hanging open.

"I mean- not really, but for my friend's wedding - my girlfriend - my ex-girlfriend, because she has a fiancee and I haven't dated in years, and I can't show up single because she'll laugh at me - so, will you pretend to be my girlfriend so my ex won't laugh at me for being single since we broke up?" Carmilla ran a hand through her hair, exasperated. She could feel her cheeks heating up.

Laura relaxed, though she gave Carm an odd look. "What the... Oh, I suppose. Could you explain that all again?"

Carmilla sighed, irritated. "I had a... a girlfriend a while ago. And we had a painful breakup."

(She can still hear her christian mother's harsh words, feel her slaps.)

"So Elle's getting married now. And I need to bring a girl to the wedding."

Laura thought it over. "So it's just pretend? We won't actually be dating?"

Carmilla nodded. "Well, we might have to do a few things - to keep the act up. But no, I'm not in love with you."

 _That's good... I guess_ , Laura thought to herself, and turned away from Carmilla.


	2. Overlooked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny found out about the fake dating affair! Personally, I blame Laura. The two have to have a Very Serious conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to update! My computer was acting up :(

"We have a very serious situation on our hands."

Carmilla looked up, startled. Laura was leaning over her, a cup of cocoa in her hand.

"You what?" I'm just reading, cupcake. No need to be so serious."

"Danny found out about the fake dating," Laura said in an urgent tone. Carmilla raised an eyebrow.

"I- I might have said something about it, and-"

Carmilla laughed at her. "Calm down. It's no big deal."

"But it is!" Laura protested. "This is a very serious matter, Carmilla Karnstein, and if you don't take it seriously I will use my status as your girlfriend to-"

"Girlfriend? I'm not your girlfriend, cutie." Carmilla sat up.

"Then I guess I'm not going to that wedding with you."

Carmilla scowled. "Fine then, you're my girlfriend."

"Then you'll help me calm Danny down. She'll probably hate me for this!"

Carmilla laughed. "Why on earth would she hate you, sweetheart?"

Laura bit her lip. "I don't know," She admitted.

Carmilla stood up and placed her book on the bed. "Then you have nothing to worry about. We'll be 'girlfriends'-" She made quote marks in the air with her fingers, "-Until after the wedding is over, then we break up quietly and never speak of it again."

Laura sighed, irritated.

"You're _impossible_."

***

"Laura hollis has a girlfriend!" LaFontaine teased.

"She's not my girlfriend," Laura insisted, feeling heat spread over her face.

"You're blushing, Laura."

"It's hot in here!"

Perry rolled her eyes."It's perfectly cool in here, Laura- And, by the way, I think this whole fake dating thing is silly."

"It's cute!" LaFontaine said.

Carmilla swept into the room like a cold breeze. "What's cute?" She scowled, "Laura, I hope you're not gossiping about me with your little _friends_." She hissed the last word.

"We weren't talking about you!" Perry assured her. "We were talking about the, um, new dress I bought."

Carmilla didn't glance over, but muttered - "Striking."

***

"Danny, I'm really sorry," Laura muttered into the phone. Carmilla could tell she didn't want her to hear, so she looked away and pretended not to notice.

"Yeah, I told you it's not real."

"It's for her friend's wedding."

"No, I _don't_!"

It was getting harder and harder to ignore the rising volume of the conversation.

Laura snapped the phone shut with a face like thunder. She took a deep breath and turned to face her roommate. "I hope you're happy," She snapped, her jaw clenched.

"Ecstatic, Buttercup." 

Laura jumped up. "Can't you take this seriously at all? My friend feels like I've forgotten her, and all because I'm trying to help _you_ -"

She stopped abruptly. "You know what- Maybe we should cut this off. I don't think-"

"Don't you dare. I need this, I _need_ to do this. I really can't afford to let you stop me."

Her eyes glimmered suddenly with rage. Laura caught her breath. "Why are you doing this? Why do you need me? Who even _is_ this girl?"

"She's an old friend."

Carmilla thought suddenly of mouths on necks, dappled sunlight and rosy cheeks, black lace and warm bodies. _Just an old friend,_ She thought bitterly.

"But- Why do I have to be involved?"

Carmilla turned away. "Just because," She answered lamely.


	3. Practise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of spare time this weekend. What are exams

Carmilla stood in front of the mirror, trying to look confident. She was still jittery with nerves- four days until the wedding. She held the black dress up against her body in the mirror.

“You’re wearing that to a wedding?” Laura chimed in from behind. She was working on an essay. Carmilla turned, a smile playing on her lips.

“What, too bright?”

“Aren’t the boots overkill? I mean, you’re not going to a rave.”

Carmilla rolled her eyes. “Well, what are you wearing?”

Laura looked away. "It’s a surprise.”

Carmilla was strangely entranced by the way her hair moved as she turned back to her computer to finish her essay. But, of course, that didn't mean anything.

“Surprise me, buttercup,” she called to Laura’s back, watching the way her smile widened as she shot her a glance.

Carmilla sat down on her own bed. “You’re really still working on that essay? Can’t you have a little fun once in a while?”

Laura frowned at her. “I have work to do, and unlike _you_ I actually care about my grades. How often have you attended class in the last week?”

Carmilla waved a dismissive hand. “Not important. How often have you gone to a party in the last week?”

Laura ignored her. Carmilla scooted closer to the desk. “You should take time off to have _fun_.”

The last word hung in the air between them. Laura’s mouth opened as if she was going to say something.

“It must be boring being cooped up in here all the time, Laura.”

“I’m going to the wedding this weekend, isn’t that-”

Carmilla interrupted her, leaning foward to place her hand on her shoulder. “Yeah, but speaking of the wedding - If we’re going as girlfriends, we have to act like a couple.”

“All right. I have no problems with… Holding hands. Sitting together.” Laura gave a weak smile. “Couple stuff.”

“But that’s not convincing enough, is it?”

Laura leaned forward. Her face was half an inch away. Carmilla had never noticed before how her eyes looked in sunlight- Brown was every other colour melted together as one, and now they were all visible. Messy eyeliner, the hints of laugh lines… How hadn’t she noticed Laura’s eyes before?

"We might need to... do more."

Laura tilted her head like a confused puppy. "I don't understand," She said, mystified.

"Let me show you..."

Carmilla leaned forward, placed a hand on her cheek and kissed her.

She smelled of cookies and perfume, something sweet and floral. Carm could feel their breath mingling, Laura's hand at Carm's waist, the softness of the sweet lips against hers. Carm tilted her head to the side, feeling her nose brush Laura's cheek. Her heart was beating so hard she felt that she could hear it. Laura's hand tightened, pulling with care at her top, and she leaned into the kiss. She tasted like cocoa.

Carm debated using tongue, but decided against it. Laura put her other hand on her shoulder to pull her in, tugging her even closer, and Carmilla thought _yes- oh god, yes._ Laura pressed her tongue to Carm's lips, making her open her mouth for a moment.

Carmilla felt a sudden rush of happiness. She was _kissing_ Laura Hollis. Why did that seem like such a crazy thought? Why was her heart pounding?

She could feel Laura laughing against her mouth. She pulled away, reluctant, and their eyes locked. For a moment, she couldn't think of anything to say or do- she could hardly remember her own name.

“What, I was that bad?”

Laura brushed back her hair and smiled shyly. “You weren’t bad at all… But you still might need a little more practise.”

***

The next day, Carmilla woke at 3pm to a loud, aggressive knock on her door.

"Laura?" She called, running a hand through her hair. "Hey... isn't it a little early?"

She wandered through the room drowsily and pulled open the door- but it wasn't Laura. Instead, Danny Lawrence stood in the hallway, hands on her hips. Carmilla's eyes narrowed.

"Not you,  _Xena_ ," She hissed.

"Grow up, Karnstein." Danny pushed past her and stepped into the room. "Where's Laura?"

"Class. As you should be."

Danny turned back to face her. "I had a basketball game. Why aren't you in class?"

"Am I ever?" Carm answered dryly. Danny's face flushed, furious.

"Well, tell her I was looking for her," She said through gritted teeth.

"I will."

Carm walked past her, then turned and ushered the redhead out with a flick of her wrist.

"And _one more_ thing-"

Carm turned back. "Yeah?" She sounded bored, like a queen tired of dealing with peasants.

Danny pointed a finger at her. "You _stay away_ from Laura. I'm warning you."

With that, she left the room.


	4. The Wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 1 of the wedding scene

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be a while updating the next part, since things are kinda difficult right now :/ Hope you like it :D

“Ready?”

“Give me a minute!” Laura called. “You’re not allowed to see!”

Carm chuckled to herself. Laura made everything dramatic. Their relationship had changed somehow since the kiss- no, the practice. She couldn’t pin down what it was, exactly, but for some reason she didn’t want their fake relationship to end. She was thrilled at the thought of holding Laura and telling everyone: “This is my girlfriend.” But, of course, Laura didn’t feel the same way. She probably couldn’t wait for the wedding to be over.

“Ready!” Laura called. Carm turned and smiled, actually _smiled_. Laura wasn’t dressed in anything particularly dazzling, only a yellow sundress and converse. And yet... She was the prettiest thing Carmilla had seen all week.

“You look…” She couldn’t find the words to describe how flawlessly radiant she looked.

She reached out as Laura stepped forward as into her arms. She bent her head forward. Laura was so close to her. For a moment Carmilla thought they might kiss, but then Laura pulled away and started down the hall.

“Come on,” She called to a forlorn Carmilla. “We don’t want to be late.”

***

It was a sunny day in Styria. As their taxi left the inner city, the sky cleared and heat crept into the taxi.

“I never left my hometown until college,” Laura confessed. “My father made sure of that.”

Carm raised an eyebrow. “He must have been strict.”

“No, he was lovely,” Laura assured her. “He taught me a lot. He was just protective.”

“How about your mom?” Carm asked.

“She left a long time ago,” Laura answered, looking away. She changed the subject. “What were your parents like?”

“My dad-” Carmilla began, but paused. Should she tell this tiny girl everything? They weren’t even technically dating.

Laura tugged at her arm. “Go on.”

Carmilla looked down at her and gave the slightest hint of a smile. How could she resist that face? “Yeah, alright, sunshine. My dad-” she took a deep breath, “-My dad died when I was a kid.”

Laura’s face fell. “That sucks.”

Carm shrugged. “I didn’t know him. Anyway, my mom raised me.”

“Was she nice?”

Carmilla considered the question. “She was… Well… Have you ever seen the movie _Carrie_?”

Laura shook her head. “Nope.”

“She was very Catholic.”

“Your mom or Carrie?”

“My mom. We went to church every week, she was good friends with the priest… She was also pretty strict.” Carmilla stopped. She didn’t want to say any more. “That's enough about me. What’s _your_ dad like?”

Laura began to talk, rattling on about her home life. She had plenty of praise for her dad, but Carmilla didn't hear a word. She couldn’t stop staring at Laura’s eyes, Laura’s lips, the way Laura's hair moved in the wind. She felt a strong urge to kiss her. She didn't know why.

 

***

The ceremony was held in a small chapel on the outskirts of the city. There was a large crowd already gathered inside when they arrived, and the place was decorated with white roses.

“Pretty, isn’t it?” Laura said in a hushed voice. Carmilla couldn’t help but smile at her.

“I’ve seen better. Haven’t you ever been to a wedding before?”

Laura reddened. “Yeah, once or twice- but not recently. Never left my hometown, remember?” She gestured to herself with one hand. They slid into a seat near the back, but a middle-aged woman in a floral dress noticed them.

“Is that Miss Karnstein?” She called across the church. “Come on over, let’s have a chat!”

Carmilla had no choice but to bring Laura to meet the woman. She took the opportunity to slide her hand around her 'girlfriend's' waist as they walked to the front.

“Miss Hesselius.” Carmilla forced a smile. “It’s been a long time.”

“Still a rebellious young lady?” Mrs. Hesselius chuckled as she noticed the black dress and leather boots.“Have you found a partner?” She enquired. Carm pulled Laura closer to her. “This is Laura Hollis, my girlfriend.”

She nodded approvingly, peering over the top of her half-moon spectacles. “Wonderful. Have you seen Elle recently?”

“No,” Carmilla admitted. “I didn’t even know she was engaged.”

The woman tutted. “I’m glad I thought to put you on the guest list.” She gestured for them to go, and as they slid into their seats Laura took Carmilla’s hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

“Don’t worry, Carm. It’ll be great,” She said. She leaned over and kissed Carmilla on the cheek. “Practice,” She whispered.

The congregation settled down and silence fell. The doors swung open and Elle entered, in a long satin dress and clutching a bouquet of white roses.

Carmilla recognized her at once. The curls, the arms, the delicate collarbones dotted with freckles- She knew it all by heart. She’d kissed those collarbones, been held in those arms, run her fingers through that hair. The only thing she didn’t recognise was the white silk dress. Elle wore plaid and denim in dark colors. At least, she used to.

The other woman met her at the altar. Sophia, her name was. _Nothing special_ , Carm thought. Or maybe she was still bitter.


	5. Elle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura meets Elle, and learns a little more about her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't been to a wedding since I was 6 so sorry for any mistakes :-) Drop a comment if you like it! It's a wordy chapter (for me at least) but I promise I'll study.. right after I check Tumblr.

Hotel Borsetta was large, grand and expensive. In the middle of the city, it was filled with beautiful staff and polished marble. Laura entered the wedding reception on Carmilla’s arm. As fancy as the hotel was, they were the best sight in the room.

“Aren’t you two a pair!” Mrs. Hesselius remarked, passing them by with a bundle of papers. “Have you talked to Elle?”

Carmilla shook her head.

“You must talk to her! Look, she’s just here-”

“Oh n-” She began, but Laura interrupted her.

“I think that would be great!”

Elle’s mother led them to the other side of the room, where the brides were making polite conversation with some aunt in a hideous hat. Elle turned to see them, and Carmilla noticed that Sophia’s arm was around her. Elle’s jaw dropped as she took xin her ex-girlfriend. “Millie…” She said, shocked.

“Carmilla’s my name, actually.” Her voice was cold. Laura’s grip tightened on her arm.

“I see you have a new muse.” Elle nodded at Laura.

“Yeah, I’m not still pining after you,” Carmilla replied, her voice hard and cool.

“Guess we’ve both moved on, then,” Elle said, her tone a little happier. “Have I introduced you to Sophia?” Sophia extended a friendly hand to Carmilla. She ignored it.

“Miss Karnstein, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” She smiled, then awkwardly withdrew her hand.

“Pleasure,” Carmilla said in a monotone voice. Laura took a step back.

“It’s lovely to meet you, but we have to go- hey, Carmilla, why don’t we dance?”

As Laura dragged her away from the disapproving brides, she hissed; “What the heck was that about?”

Carmilla pulled her closer as they approached the dance floor- better to talk to her quietly, of course.

“Elle and I don’t exactly have the best history. Sorry if I embarrassed you, Cupcake.”

“You can’t just be rude at a wedding!” Laura grumbled. She laughed and leaned forward to kiss her on the nose. “You’re adorable when you get angry, buttercup.” She took her hand and started to dance, but Laura stood still.

"I don’t _dance_ ,“ She hissed. Carmilla laughed.

"Seriously? Fine, just stick close to me and copy what I do.”

“How’d you learn to dance anyway?” Laura tried to seem angry, but she couldn’t help smiling. Carm was _oh so close_ to her, and the way she looked at her made Laura forget herself…

“My mother taught me- thought it would be proper for a lady of class to know the waltz. But she considered dancing with boys to be scandalous for a lady of nine, so I made do with the daughter of her colleague…”

“Elle,” Laura finished for her. Carm nodded.

"At the time, she was just little Ellie who couldn't master the waltz. After the dance lessons, we started to talk more. She came to my tenth birthday party, and didn't leave my side all day. The next week, we went to the cinema together. After that, I went to her house. Her family was rich... but not as rich as mine. We went everywhere together, became the firmest of friends. We were inseparable."

"Did your mother approve?" Laura asked.

"It's good to associate with other rich people. She calls it 'networking.' I call it flirting."

"Sounds fun."

Carmilla was looking at her in the strangest way. "It was."

"Go- go on," She stuttered. Why was she so nervous? It was only a dance, for God's sakes. Only a dance where they were pressed close together, and their fingers were interlocking, and Carm's hand was on her hip...

"On my fourteenth birthday, she slept over at my house. And I-"

"Hey, that's not romantic enough!" Laura complained. "Come on, set the scene. Roses and moonlight."

"There were no roses, sweetie." Carmilla smiled, a rare sight. "But there _was_ moonlight. You could see the stars that night, so we opened the curtains."

"What was your room like?"

"Lots of punk-rock posters. Mother didn't approve. It was pretty messy, too. I gave up my bed for her, but ended up crawling in with her anyway. We watched some old teen movies- don't remember which- and afterwards, while we snacked on chocolate, I dared her to tell me a secret. She said..."

She paused. Laura prompted her on with a nod.

"Elle told me that last summer, while she was at drama camp, she'd kissed a girl. Of course, I was jealous, and at first I didn't understand why. But then I realized that I was in love with her."

"Then...?"

"I kissed her. She kissed me back."

Laura felt a twinge of envy. Why did she feel so bitter? Carm lightly stroked her cheek with one hand, and she froze. "What are..."

"Gotta keep up the act, right?" Carmilla smiled again. "Let's go sit by the happy couple." She led Laura to the seats by Sophia and Elle, who seemed to be engaged in an intimate conversation. Laura pulled her close.

"Is this convincing enough?" She breathed as she rested her head on Carmilla's shoulder.

Carmilla leaned over a little, so her mouth was at her ear, and placed her hand on Laura's waist. "Not quite. Tell me you love me."

The thought thrilled Laura for some reason. "I love you," She said loudly. She raised an eyebrow at Carm- _was that good?_ She nodded, and they locked eyes again. They sat like that for a while until Laura sat up again and took her hand. She leaned closer- so close that Carm could feel her breath on her cheek.

"Kiss me with everyone looking," Laura whispered under her breath.

Carmilla tilted her head to the right, closed her eyes, and kissed her. Laura was familiar to her now, so familiar she could tell every little mark and mannerism. She was hyperaware of every eye on them. She could feel Laura breathing into her mouth, and her into Laura's, and when their breath mingled it was like they were sharing a tiny slice of their souls. Laura's legs were rubbing against hers, her hips swinging closer. In that moment, it didn't seem like they could get any closer. They were together, forever, as one. Laura was the first to break away.

"I quite like this fake girlfriends thing," She whispered, clutching at the hem of Carm's dress, then- "I love you."

It was pretty convincing, as fake declarations of love go. It seemed to Carmilla almost like she meant it.

She looked over at Elle, who wasn't looking at them, but at Sophia.

"Damn."

"Didn't get her?"

She shrugged. "Hey, cupcake, it was a nice kiss anyway."

***

"Tell me more about Elle."

It was late dusk, with the sun casting a pink glow through the windows. Everyone was a little sleepy, but they danced slowly, Laura's head on her girlfriend's chest. Carm shrugged.

"What is there to tell? We made out. I wore her shirt. We watched movies together."

"Did you ever..."

"Oh, that? No. Elle was pure, and wanted to keep it that way. I didn't mind. Having her for my own was pleasure enough."

"Why did you break up?" Laura asked. "You seemed so happy together."

"When I was seventeen, we got a little careless with our affection. My mother... she didn't see anything, but she suspected. All it took was a few choice questions for Elle, a threat here and there... She crumbled under my mother. She never did have a strong will."

"What happened then?" Laura was wide-eyed, captivated.

"I never saw her again. I got packed off to college to live under my mother's watch."

"College?"

"My mother owns Silas. She's the Dean of students here."

Laura was stunned. "No wonder you were scared of her..."

Carmilla shrugged it off. "It doesn't matter. A few good things came of that."

"Like?" Laura was skeptical.

"I met you."

Carmilla was confident, happy. The words were hushed, but they were what Laura wanted to hear. Laura swallowed. Her fingertips were suddenly tingling where they met Carm's neck. She leaned up on her tiptoes so that she was eye-to-eye with her girlfriend.

"I love you, Carmilla."

She was expecting Carm to run away or tell her she was being _convincing,_ but instead she stopped dead. 

"I love you too, Laura." 

For the first time, she wasn't thinking about Elle. Her only thought was _Laura, Laura, Laura._

***

On the ride home, Laura fell asleep in her arms.


End file.
